Georgian grammar has a reputation for being complex.

A major part of this complexity comes from the noun case system.

The Georgian language uses seven distinct noun cases.

A noun case simply changes the ending of a word based on its grammatical role in a sentence.

This means a word will look slightly different depending on whether it’s doing an action, receiving an action, or being used as a tool.

While seven cases sounds like a lot, the rules for applying them are remarkably consistent.

Once you understand the basic patterns, adding these suffixes becomes second nature.

The nominative case

The nominative case is the default dictionary form of a Georgian noun.

You’ll use this case for the main subject of a sentence in the present and future tenses.

If a noun ends in a consonant, the nominative suffix is -i (ი).

If a noun already ends in a vowel, it simply takes no suffix at all.

The ergative case

The ergative case is a unique feature for English speakers.

It’s used to mark the subject of a sentence, but only for certain verbs in the past tense.

When a person or thing performs an action in the past tense (specifically aorist), the subject takes the ergative case.

For nouns ending in a consonant, you add -ma (მა).

For nouns ending in a vowel, you add -m (მ).

The dative case

The dative case acts as the object of a sentence.

You use it to show who or what is receiving the action of a verb.

In Georgian, you also use the dative case for the subject of “feeling” verbs, like wanting or liking.

The suffix for the dative case is -s (ს) for both consonant and vowel-ending nouns.

If the noun ends in the nominative -i, you drop the -i before adding the -s.

The genitive case

The genitive case is the equivalent of the English possessive ” ‘s ” or the word “of”.

It shows that something belongs to someone, or shows a relationship between two nouns.

For nouns ending in a consonant, the suffix is -is (ის).

For nouns ending in a vowel, you usually just add -s (ს).

The instrumental case

The instrumental case shows the tool, instrument, or method used to perform an action.

It translates nicely to the English words “with” or “by means of”.

For nouns ending in a consonant, you add the suffix -it (ით).

For nouns ending in a vowel, you add -ti (თი).

The adverbial case

The adverbial case is used to show a change of state or function.

It translates to the English phrases “as a” or “into a”.

You’ll frequently use it when talking about professions.

For nouns ending in a consonant, the suffix is -ad (ად).

For nouns ending in a vowel, you just add -d (დ).

The vocative case

The vocative case is used when you’re directly addressing someone or something.

You’ll hear this constantly in Georgia when friends call out to each other.

For nouns ending in a consonant, you drop the nominative -i and add -o (ო).

For nouns ending in a vowel, you add -v (ვ), though it’s often dropped in casual speech entirely.

Georgian noun cases summary table

Here’s a quick reference table showing all seven cases.

I’ve included the standard endings for both consonant-stem and vowel-stem nouns.